Ro’s Favourite Things

Another playlist by yours truly. Earlier this year I began archiving my old playlists and dissecting them one song at a time. Stay with me, this one hails from 2002 and has zero content from 2002 because apparently I was already an old woman by then.

So ummmm, is this song on your baby-making playlist? Probably. In 2002 I didn’t know what afternoon delight was, or what a contact high was for that matter. Oy.

2. When I’m 64 – The Beatles

What a sweet and endearing song. Grow old with me, internet.

3. The Longest Time – Billy Joel

‘I don’t care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad’

But seriously, as a teenager, you run into everything head first and you deal with the pain later. Billy Joel knows what’s up. Falling in love is pretty reckless. We try to tell ourselves that we’ll be cautious and we won’t give all of ourselves, and then one slip and it’s all downhill. Life lessons, yo.

4. You Made Me So very Happy – Blood, Sweat and Tears

‘I love you so much it seems
You’re even in my dreams
I can hear you’

Careful there, BST. Telling someone you’re dreaming about them gets creepy, unless they feel the same way. Actually, make sure they feel the same way before you say this kind of stuff at all. Or keep it to yourself. Or write a hit song. Whatever.

5. More Than A Feeling – Boston

Confession: I’ve overplayed this song and I don’t like it anymore.

6. I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick

‘I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I’d love you to love me.
I’m beggin’ you to beg me.’

I very vividly remember wanting someone to feel the same way that I felt about them, but not knowing where I stood. The achy-hurty feeling of not knowing. Ugh, it’s coming back to me now. Staaaahhhhp.

7. Romeo and Juliet – Dire Straits

‘And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and bad company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme’

Here, Dire Straits, just take my heart. I didn’t want it anyway after listening to your most excellent crumby song about how it doesn’t work out for Romeo, regardless of his and Juliet’s unfortunate stance on mortality.

8. Just What I Needed – The Cars

‘I don’t mind you coming here
And wasting all my time
I don’t mind you hanging out
And talking in your sleep’

It’s not wasting time if it’s something you enjoy…

9. Again – Lenny Kravitz

‘I wonder if I’ll ever see you again’

Back in 1999, it was a lot easier to lose track of someone, and I did. The internet wasn’t in everyone’s house yet, and we still had to ask for phone numbers and risk parents answering. Oh god the panic. Sometimes you just left stuff to chance instead of trying to make it happen.

10. Last Kiss – Pearl Jam

At the very least, he knew it was going to be his last kiss before his love departed this world. I tend to think we would do things differently if we knew we were doing it for the last time. How great would it be to leave this life with a last kiss? BRB, crying while I contemplate it.

11. Pretty Woman

As a 20-something woman, I have feelings about a man noticing a pretty woman on the street and cat-calling after her. It’s not good. I’m sure this song was innocent enough back in the dark ages, but now it doesn’t sit very well with me. Anyway, before I destroy Roy Orbison, I’m moving on.

12. Let’s Spend the Night Together – The Rolling Stones

I still like this song.

13. Two Princes – The Spin Doctors

Who didn’t love this song in all its early 90’s glory? Synopsis- this guy wants you to give him a chance despite that fact that he’s a bum. Personally, I think Romeo from #7 has more of a chance than this guy.

14. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere – The Moody Blues

‘I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere you can hear my voice’

More people losing track of each other. I’m beginning to think that maybe we would value our relationships and experiences a little more if the internet didn’t make them so damn convenient. What do I know? I wasn’t even alive when this song came out.

15. The Air That I Breathe

‘Making love with you
Has left me peaceful warm and tired
What more could I ask
There’s nothing left to be desired
Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak’

This guy is saying that there is nothing else in the world that he wants other than this. All he needs is the air that he breathes and to love you. Why is anyone settling for anything less than this? Go get it, make it happen. Seriously, this is the kind of love that makes me cry. Just kidding, I’m already crying.

Yes, I really do have nostalgia tied to every song, but there isn’t enough time in this world to tell you about it. That, and it’s probably not that interesting to anyone but me. So here we are. Another playlist archived.

For the first time in close to two decades, I am sleeping on a mat on the floor of my tent, in a sleeping bag, instead of an air mattress that rivals the size of my queen size bed at home, which I usually cover in thick, flannel sheets and a down duvet.

I’m sharing my 6-8 person tent with three other people instead of hoarding the space for myself and husband.

I packed one weekend bag. Just one. And it’s not very big. I’ve packed more just to get ready at a girlfriend’s house for a night out.

We still slaved in the kitchen all week so that we could have amazing meals every day. If it’s going to be cold and damp, we may as well have our spirits lifted with rich, spicy spaghetti sauce and a hearty stew with cheddar biscuits. We brought our French press because mornings without coffee shouldn’t exist at all.

I packed a lot of liquor. I may not even notice the inclement weather…

We brought games. Our friends brought games. We have a trunk full of dry, split firewood.

Our campsite doesn’t have flush toilets or showers. I may wash my hair in the lake if I get desperate, but I brought a hat.

I swore that I wouldn’t camp like my parents and yet here I am, performing their exact version of camping. Next thing you know I’ll be growing my own vegetables and using unscented laundry detergent. Oh wait…

I’ll give you each love letter back We’ll laugh before every joke is told We’ll pose after every photograph Has been removed from the negative

With every smile we lose a line Watch the stars fall back into the sky Cork the wine Unbake a cake Take the dog back to the RSPCA

But I don’t mind losing you this time

I’ll meet you coming backwards I’ll meet you coming back When the universe has expanded Time will contract You’ll come back I’ll meet you coming backwards Next time

We make-up start an argument Tears crawl back into your… I turn from a friend Of your friend Unintroduced Forget your name forevermore

But I don’t mind losing you this time

I’ll meet you coming backwards… Yes I’ll meet you coming back But we move forwards Into emptiness Into the void Into the universe

We’ll part as happy strangers From a long friendship That grew from Such a love

I’m a space, music, and love enthusiast and this song does everything for me. It embodies everything bittersweet. If you could lose a love backwards, imagine all those bad moments followed by good ones, fading into the abyss. Oh my heart. If only I could love some people in reverse…

School update- I’m almost finished. I just have three exams next week. I’ve been up until at least 1am consistently every night for the last ten days trying to get final papers and projects finished or I’ve been awake stressing about it. On Tuesday night I presented and defended my first piece of technical documentation and I am fairly confident that I did well. I still have to wrap up my editing piece, and then my technical writing styles final project. Almost done… six more days. I CAN DO THIS. No I can’t. YES I CAN. No, I think I’m just going to curl up into a ball and die. NO YOU WON’T. Yes I will. <—- Me, every day.

Life has been stressful. I’m working full time and attending classes three nights a week and my employer doesn’t know that I’m in school. I’m dealing with stuff at home. A friend passed away and that derailed me for a bit. People are moving away, and I’m not good at goodbyes. I’ve abandoned my bucket list and resolutions for the time being, I just need to survive the next six days. I could use a lot of hugs and reassurance right now. And then… and then…

I was laying in bed at 1:30am this morning and I realized that I’m looking forward to putting my life back together. I’ve taken a three month sabbatical from being domestic in any way shape or form. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve cooked a meal. Or cleaned. And I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I miss it. I used to be a domestic goddess. I cooked, I baked, I sewed, I cleaned sometimes, I went to the gym, and I read books cover to cover. I also realized that while the next six days will totally suck, it will be over soon and I have a lot to look forward to:

SHOWS! In April alone I’m going to see The Airborne Toxic Event, The Dudes and The Zolas with Julia, and the ever fine Hannah Georgas with Tiffy and Jenny

Cherry blossoms

The trees are starting to grow leaves again and greenification has already begun

My lady love Jaime is going to come for a visit or two, girl I cannot wait for this

Taking my sister to Jurrasic Park 3D

I’ll be participating in the Sun Run, despite the fact that I haven’t trained in over a month. I hope I don’t die

May 2, aka THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF THE YEAR, is my birthday (and Julia’s too, hooray birthday buddy!)

I’m finally going to Sasquatch Music Festival for the US Memorial Day weekend, and not only is the line up awesome, but some of my favourite people will be there

June 6th is adult night at the aquarium and this time I’m bringing a flask since they made me buy food the last time I wanted a glass of wine at adult night

Setting up my outdoor spaces

The days are getting lighter, eventually the weather will improve, and the patios will open

Camping and campfires

Going to the lake

BBQ’s on the beach

Or just BBQing. Everything tastes better on the BBQ, even pizza. Mmmmm. Pizza. Wait, I can have that now if I want. Yay!

Picnics in the park

Lunch in the park- let’s be real, I never stopped having lunch in the park. I live for that shit

Sunglasses

Mini skirts, tank tops, bikinis, and sandals

Fireworks

Suntanning beside the pool

Driving just after the sun has set with all the windows open and the music turned up

Road trip to Oregon and California

Squamish Valley Music Festival and camping and debauchery

Bike rides around the Seawall

Popsicles and boozy slurpies

Fish and chips at Pajos

WRECK BEACH because aint nobody got time for clothes

Speaking of no clothes, does anyone remember Camp Naked from last summer on twitter? That will be starting again. When it gets warm, NO CLOTHES

Stargazing. This one just cannot come fast enough. The telescope is always ready to go

Warm nights on the deck playing cards and listening to music

Outdoor concerts

Reading in the sun

Drive In movies and movies in the park

I also mentioned to someone that I wanted to build a blanket fort outside in my yard and have drinks in it – AHEM NATALIE, ARE YOU READING THIS?

Scott and Lyndsey, I’d really love to be invited to Green Lake again and I promise to return your sleeping bags and bring my own bedding to the cabin and some delicious treats and booze and bug spray and whatever else

I feel better just looking at this list. Good things are coming, people. Keep moving forward.

For a point in time I was addicted to buying discount vouchers. I bought them for workshops, restaurants, hotel stays, spas etc. The very first one that I redeemed was a sauna and massage package and that was a disaster. In light of that, I’ve been a lot more careful about what I commit myself to.

I found a Social Shopper voucher for a screen printing workshop at Blim in Vancouver. Last week I finally got around to booking it to keep myself occupied because the husband is away. I took myself for dinner at Acme Cafe (did you know I write for What’s for Lunch BC, too? Check it out) and attended Level 1 Screen Printing and it was AWESOME! I want to screen print everything. My particular class had 3 other adults and 4 kids in it. The kids were really distracting and sometimes a little harrowing as I tried to protect my own work from their messy hands. Did you know that Blim also offers a children’s workshop?

The burned screen after it's water bath

We watched a home made instructional video which was followed by a live demo. There is nothing high-tech about the process except for the emulsion and burning process. My image was printed on a transparency sheet, laid on the screen under a sheet of glass and suntanned under a 1,000 watt lightbulb for 6 minutes. I washed my screen in a water bath and voila! My image appeared on the screen. Neato.

I used super colour, which is more like paint, since my scarf was a little darker, rather than the water-based dyes. The process is easy enough- put paint along the top and use a squeegee to distribute it.

Adding super colour to my screen

It’s a process to change colours because you have to wash and air dry your screen each time. I staggered my image and used three different colours and I really like the look.

Distributing the colour or completing a pass

The first print, yep it's a diamond. Diamonds are a girl's bestfriend!